Who We Are An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.
Marvelous Me Subject focus Language Arts, Social Studies, Science Standards 5. Students will understand social systems and structures and how these influence individuals. Strands a. Recognize that individual people are part of a group. d. Understand why people live in social groups. e.
Science S & B Mcrell 4.1 & 2, 5. 1& 2, H.3.1&2, 10.1&2
Central Idea Myself as part of my family
Concepts: Form Function connection

Summative assessment task(s):

Students will create a collage of themselves portraying what they are like (likes, activities, pets, favorites etc.).

My family book. This book shows pictures and descriptions of each family member.

Identify differences and similarities between family units

Illustrate and label pictures of survival necessities that family provides.

Express various ideas of family activities in their journal

2. Lines of Inquiry: 1. How my family supports my development and change 2. How families are alike and different 3. How families provide necessities for survival.

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?

1. Why do we need our family?
2. How do our families help us grow and learn?
3. What makes my family different from other families?
4. What does my family have in common with other families?
5. What family activities do we enjoy together?

3. How might we know what we have learned?

What are the possible ways of assessing students’ prior knowledge and skills? What evidence will we look for?

Formative assessment:

Students use vocabulary words learned

Teacher observation

Letter/message writing with family members and school staff

What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?

1. Students will dramatize how their family members help them grow and learn.
2. With the whole class, teacher models a web of “Me” and “My family”. This web will be used as reference to writing a few sentences or a paragraph about themselves and their family that will be attached to their “Me as Part of My Family” poster.
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4. What are the learning experiences suggested by the teacher and/or students to encourage the students to engage with the inquiries and address the driving questions?

1. To access prior knowledge and generate questions, the teacher will use a game to express what their families have in common with other families. a. learners in circle - ask questions like: if you have a sister go to the middle, if you have a pet, if you live with your grandparents, etc. at the same time make a venn diagram on the board, or a chart (use sticky notes for charts)

2. Discussion by reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction literature about families.

3. During circle time, students will share what their family is like: members of the family, jobs, family composition,

Play a game of alike: get into a circle if you have a little sister, grandma staying with you, older brother, mom that is a teacher, etc.

What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the development of the attributes of the learner profile?

Students will write to family members for several purposes: to remember and share their learning, make sense of new ideas (making connections to what they know), to share personal thoughts and reactions.
Self-assessment:
I am special because…
My family is special because…

Instructional Strategies

1. Students will write letters (research and communication skills) to family members and or school staff and place them in the classroom mailbox

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5. What resources need to be gathered?

What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available
Non-fiction books, videos, mailbox

How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?

• family involvement (parents come to talk about the family)
• a mailbox will be created in class for students and families correspondence
• DVD videos
• library
• discovery streaming
• puppets

6. To what extent did we achieve our purpose?

Assess the outcome of the inquiry by providing evidence of students’ understanding of the central idea. The reflections of all teachers involved in the planning and teaching of the inquiry should be included.

How you could improve on the assessment task(s) so that you would have a more accurate picture of each student’s understanding of the central idea.

7. To what extent did we include the elements of PYP?

What were the learning experiences that enabled students to:

• develop an understanding of the concepts identified in "What do we want to learn?"
• demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills?
• develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?

In each case, explain your selection.

8. What student-initiated inquiries arose from this learning?

(Record a range of student-initiated inquiries and student questions and highlight any that were incorporated into the teaching and learning.)

At this point teachers should go back to box 2 “What do we want to learn?” and highlight the teacher questions/provocations that were most effective in driving the inquiries.
What student-initiated actions arose from the learning?
Record student-initiated actions taken by individuals or groups showing their ability to reflect, to choose and to act.

9. Teacher's Notes

(This unit did not take place in the classroom during this school year 2008-2009. It will not be reported in the report cards. Students actions and inquiries will be written once students study this unit.)